Born: April 18, 1968
Age: 56
Birthplace: Redhill, Surrey, England
David Ian Hewlett (born 18 April 1968) is an English-Canadian actor, writer, director, and voice actor best known for his role as Dr. Rodney McKay on the Canadian-American science fiction TV shows Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe.
Hewlett first gained fame for his role as Grant Jansky in the 1996 Canadian TV series, Traders and a year later, appeared as David Worth in the 1997 Canadian psychological horror film Cube. He later played bad-tempered airplane pilot, Douglas Hunsiker in the 2011 movie, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. In addition, Hewlett is also known for his role in the 1988 horror film Pin and the 1991 science-fiction film Scanners II: The New Order.
Hewlett was born in Redhill, Surrey, and moved with his family to Canada at the age of four. Hewlett got his first computer in his mid-teens and became a self-described "computer nerd". While attending high school in Toronto, he launched his acting career, starring in student films by Vincenzo Natali. He dropped out of high school in his senior year to pursue careers in acting and computing, beginning his acting career in 1984 at the age of sixteen.
Before his acting career took off, Hewlett ran Darkyl Media, a web site design firm, and also founded Fusefilm.com, a now defunct internet community for filmmakers.
Hewlett has appeared in many low-budget horror films, such as The Darkside and the minor cult favourites Scanners II: The New Order and Pin. He also guest starred in several television series. In 1996, he landed one of his better-known roles, as Grant Jansky on Traders. In 1997, Hewlett worked again with Natali, starring in the critically acclaimed thriller Cube as Worth the architect, a role that saw the rise of his stardom due to the commercial success of the low budget Canadian film.
Hewlett, an avid science fiction fan, has been quoted saying that Doctor Who, the sci-fi program in his native Britain is what first sparked his love for the genre. And that he made science fiction when he was younger in Britain, on his 8 millimetre camera with friends. Hewlett had his early dreams of working in science fiction made into a reality, when he first had a four-episode guest role on the Canadian/American sci-fi series Stargate SG-1, as the Stargate expert Rodney McKay, which eventually grew into his starring role on Stargate Atlantis.
In 2007, Hewlett appeared as a guest star in the first episode of the TV series Sanctuary, a show produced by and starring Stargate actress Amanda Tapping. He played Larry Tolson - a patient suffering from a form of psychosis, who was shot and wounded before being taken into custody by police as a murder suspect.
In 2006, he wrote and directed A Dog's Breakfast starring himself, his sister Kate Hewlett, his dog Mars, and Stargate Atlantis costars Paul McGillion, Christopher Judge and Rachel Luttrell. In July 2006, Hewlett created a YouTube channel named Fanatical
In 2014, Hewlett directed the supernatural horror-science fiction film Debug with Jason Momoa, who starred alongside Hewlett in Stargate Atlantis. Jeananne Goossen and Adrian Holmes played the lead roles in the film.
In 2015, Hewlett stars in the Syfy TV series Dark Matter, which is based on the comic book of the same name. Playing a recurring role as Tabor Calchek, a merchant who also serves as the team's handler.
Hewlett married actress Soo Garay in 2000, they divorced in 2004. He married Jane Loughman in 2008. Hewlett's sister is actress Kate Hewlett. She has appeared on Stargate Atlantis as Rodney McKay's sister, Jeannie Miller, several times in the series.
Film | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
1987 | The Darkside | Chuckie | |
1988 | Pin | Leon | |
1989 | The Penthouse | Joe Dobson | TV film |
Dead Meat | |||
1990 | Where the Heart Is | Jimmy | |
Deep Sleep | Terry | ||
Desire and Hell at Sunset Motel | Deadpan Winchester | ||
1991 | Scanners II: The New Order | David Kellum | |
The First Circle | 'Ruska' Rostislav | TV film | |
1992 | A Savage Christmas: The Fall of Hong Kong | Walter Jenkins | |
Quiet Killer | Myles Chapman | ||
Split Images | Gary Hammond | TV film | |
1993 | Blood Brothers | Detective Trayne | |
The Boys of St. Vincent: 15 Years Later | Steven Lunney age 25 | ||
1996 | Joe's Wedding | Rob Fitzgerald | |
1997 | Cube | David Worth, the Architect | |
On the 2nd Day of Christmas | Mel | TV film | |
Elevated | Hank | Short | |
Bad Day on the Block | Andrew | ||
1998 | Clutch | Martyn | |
Milkman | Martin/Soldier's | Voice | |
1999 | Survivor | Le médecin | TV film |
The Life Before This | Nick | ||
Blind | The Victim | Short | |
Autoerotica | Gord | Short | |
Amateur Night | D.J. | Short | |
2001 | Chasing Cain | Bud | |
And Never Let Her Go | Gerry Capano | TV film | |
The Triangle | Gus Gruber | TV film | |
Century Hotel | Michael | ||
Treed Murray | Murray | aka Get Down | |
2002 | Made In Canada, Volume 1: Best of the CFC | Himself | |
Cypher | Virgil Dunn | ||
Father Lefty | Father Gregory | TV film | |
2003 | Nothing | Dave | |
Foolproof | Lawrence Yeager | ||
Friday Night | Roger | Short | |
2004 | Boa vs. Python | Dr. Steven Emmett | |
Ice Men | Bryan | ||
Darklight | Anders Raeborne | TV film | |
2006 | A Dog's Breakfast | Patrick | |
2008 | Helen | Frank | |
2009 | Splice | William Barlow | |
2010 | The Whistleblower | Fred Murray | |
2011 | Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Douglas Hunsiker | |
Morlocks | Dr. Radnor | TV film | |
2013 | Haunter | Olivia's Father | |
Television | |||
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1984 | The Edison Twins | Howard | Episode: The Delinquent |
1988 | Friday the 13th: The Series | Cal | Episode: Tales of the Undead |
1988 | My Secret Identity | Rock | Episode: A Walk on the Wild Side |
1988/1989 | T. and T. | Detective Jones/Ronnie | Episodes: Black and White/Thicker Than White. |
1990 | The Campbells | Captain Henderson/ Ned Kane | Episodes: And in the Spring/Live by the Sword |
1988-1994 | Street Legal | Dave Lister / Tim Woolrich | Episodes: Murder by Video/Persons Living or Dead |
1991-1992 | Katts and Dog | The Strangler | Episodes: Relatively Speaking/Killing Ground/Boy Who Cried Wolf |
1992 | Forever Knight | Matthew Reed | Episode: Dead Air |
1992-1993 | Beyond Reality | Tom | Episode: A Kiss Is Just a Psi/The Loving Cup |
1993 | Shining Time Station | Ted Typo | Episodes: Stacy Cleans Up/The Mayor Runs for Re-Election |
1993 | Tropical Heat (AKA Sweating Bullets) | Gleason | Episode: Object of Desire |
1993-1996 | Kung Fu: The Legend Continues | Dr. Nicholas Elder | 13 episodes |
1994 | Monster Force | Lance McGruder (voice) | 13 episodes |
1996-2000 | Traders | Grant Jansky | 73 episodes |
2001 | ER | Mr. Schudy | Episode: Never Say Never |
2003 | Mutant X | Hector Friemark | Episode: The Taking of Crows |
2004 | Without a Trace | Fred Watkins | Episode: Hawks and Handsaws |
2004 | The District | Frederick | Episode: Family Values |
2001-2007 | Stargate SG-1 | Dr. Rodney McKay | 7 episodes |
2004-2009 | Stargate: Atlantis | Dr. Rodney McKay | 100 episodes |
2009 | The Closer | FBI Special Agent Jerry Moore | Episode: Walking Back the Cat |
2010-2011 | Hellcats | Dr. Eagan | Episode: Finish What We Started/Worried Baby Blues |
2011 | Stargate: Universe | Dr. Rodney McKay | Episode: Seizure |
2013 | Darknet | Lewis | Episode: Darknet 1 |
2013 | State of Syn | Aslin Kane | 6 episodes |
2015 | Dark Matter | Talbor Calchek | 3 episodes |
2015 | Incorporated | Chad | |
Writer | |||
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2003 | Nothing | Story | |
2006 | A Dog's Breakfast | Story | |
2014 | Debug | Story | |
Director | |||
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2006 | A Dog's Breakfast | Also played Patrick | |
2011 | Rage of the Yeti | Also played Mills | |
2014 | Debug |